Wireless network association and authentication system

Abstract

A wireless network association and authentication system includes an access point that is coupled to an authentication server via a first wireless network. The access point receives, from a first user device that associates with the access point, a first request for access to a second wireless network provided by the access point that is coupled to a wide area network through the first wireless network. The first request includes first authentication information. The access point provides the first request that includes the first authentication information to the authentication server via the first wireless network and receives a first authentication response from the authentication server via the first wireless network. In response to the first authentication response indicating that the first user device is authenticated, the access point provides the first user device access to the second wireless network.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 receiving, by network equipment comprising a processor, a request from a user equipment for access to a network service associated with a network coupled to a cellular communication network, wherein the request comprises authentication information, wherein an authentication between the network equipment and the user equipment is anonymized via the cellular communication network, and wherein the authentication information being anonymized comprises the authentication information appearing to an authentication server of the cellular communication network to originate from the network equipment instead of the user equipment; 
 sending, by the network equipment, the authentication information to the authentication server using a non-anonymized protocol, resulting in the authentication information appearing to the authentication server to be associated with the user equipment; and 
 in response to the authentication server indicating that the user equipment has been authenticated, providing, by the network equipment, access to the network service associated with the network by the user equipment. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the non-anonymized protocol is an association and authentication protocol. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the network equipment, an authentication response from the authentication server in response to sending the authentication information to the authentication server, wherein providing the access to the network service comprises providing the access to the network service further in response to the authentication response indicating that the user equipment is authenticated. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the request is a first request, wherein the user equipment is a first user equipment, wherein the authentication information is first authentication information, and wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving, by the network equipment, a second request from a second user equipment for access to the network service, wherein the second request comprises second authentication information; and 
 sending, by the network equipment, the second authentication information to the authentication server using the non-anonymized protocol, resulting in the second authentication information appearing to the authentication server to be associated with the second user equipment. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 in response to the authentication server indicating that the second user equipment is not authenticated:
 disassociating, by the network equipment, the second user equipment from the network equipment; and 
 restricting, by the network equipment, the second user equipment from accessing the network service while continuing to provide the access to the network service by the first user equipment. 
 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the access to the network service comprises providing the access to the network service by the user equipment via a wide area network of the network. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 broadcasting, by the network equipment, network connectivity information associated with the network equipment. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein receiving the request from the user equipment comprises receiving the request from the user equipment in response to broadcasting the network connectivity information. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the network connectivity information comprises protocol information relating to the non-anonymized protocol, and wherein the authentication information included in the request is configured according to the non-anonymized protocol in accordance with the protocol information. 
     
     
       10. Network equipment, comprising:
 a processor; and 
 a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
 receiving a request from a user equipment for access to a network coupled to a cellular communication network, wherein the request comprises authentication information, and wherein an authentication occurs at the cellular communication network between the network equipment and the user equipment that causes the authentication to be anonymized such that the authentication information appears, to an authentication server of the cellular communication network, to be associated with the network equipment instead of the user equipment; 
 transmitting the authentication information to the authentication server using a non-anonymized protocol such that the authentication information appears to the authentication server to be associated with the user equipment; and 
 enabling access to the network by the user equipment in response to the authentication server indicating that the user equipment is authenticated. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The network equipment of  claim 10 , wherein the non-anonymized protocol is an association and authentication protocol. 
     
     
       12. The network equipment of  claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving an authentication response from the authentication server in response to transmitting the authentication information to the authentication server; and 
 enabling the access to the network further in response to the authentication response indicating that the user equipment is authenticated. 
 
     
     
       13. The network equipment of  claim 10 , wherein the request is a first request, wherein the user equipment is a first user equipment, wherein the authentication information is first authentication information, and wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving a second request from a second user equipment for access to the network, the second request comprising second authentication information; and 
 transmitting the second authentication information to the authentication server using the non-anonymized protocol such that the second authentication information appears to the authentication server to be associated with the second user equipment. 
 
     
     
       14. The network equipment of  claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 in response to the authentication server indicating that the second user equipment is not authenticated:
 disassociating the second user equipment from the network equipment; and 
 preventing the second user equipment from accessing the network while continuing to provide the access to the network to the first user equipment. 
 
 
     
     
       15. The network equipment of  claim 10 , wherein enabling the access to the network comprises:
 enabling access to a wide area network by the user equipment via the network in response to the authentication server indicating that the user equipment is authenticated. 
 
     
     
       16. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
 receiving, from a user equipment, an access request for network services associated with a network coupled to a cellular network, wherein the access request comprises authentication information, and wherein the cellular network facilitates an authentication between network equipment of the network and the user equipment that causes the authentication to be anonymized, wherein the authentication being anonymized comprises the authentication information appearing to an authentication server that is part of the cellular network to be associated with the network equipment instead of the user equipment; 
 submitting the authentication information to the authentication server using a non-anonymized protocol, as a result of which the authentication information appears to the authentication server to be associated with the user equipment; and 
 enabling access to the network services by the user equipment in response to the authentication server indicating that the user equipment is authenticated. 
 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving an authentication response from the authentication server in response to submitting the authentication information to the authentication server; and 
 enabling the access to the network services further in response to the authentication response indicating that the user equipment is authenticated. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the access request is a first access request, wherein the user equipment is a first user equipment, wherein the authentication information is first authentication information, and wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving a second access request from a second user equipment for access to the network services, the second access request comprising second authentication information; and 
 submitting the second authentication information to the authentication server using the non-anonymized protocol, as a result of which the second authentication information appears to the authentication server to be associated with the second user equipment. 
 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise preventing the second user equipment from accessing the network services while continuing to enable the access to the network services by the first user equipment in response to the authentication server indicating that the second user equipment is not authenticated. 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein enabling the access to the network services comprises:
 enabling, via the network, access to wide area network services of a wide area network by the user equipment in response to the authentication server indicating that the user equipment is authenticated.